LV. CHAP. "termine and answer to his ambassador, he would presently "signify to them [the Queen's Council.] And that if they Anno 1557." should not keep themselves in their duty, and within "their own bounds, and forthwith desist from the war so "unjustly waged against the English, all care should be "taken, that on that side open war should be made upon "them, and to do them all the damage that might be. And, "in short, that nothing should be omitted by him which he "should understand to be for the profit, conservation, and utility of this kingdom: concluding, Cum res omnes illius "[regni,] (et vestrum omnium fides et amor promeretur,) "charas admodum habeamus. Dat. in civitate nostra Ca"meracensi, vii. mens. August. MDLVII. Subscribed, The Queen sets forth a fleet. 66 "PHILIPPUS." As the Queen had made the best preparations she could on the sudden by land, so, in the beginning of this month of August, she set forth a fleet against her Scotch enemies, to annoy them. On the 6th day, Sir John Clere, her vice-admiral, arrived at Barwick, where he and others concerned consulted together about the marine affairs. The result was, that the ships should make a show in the Frith, to give terror to such pirates as lay there: and thence to set course to Bahomines, and to waste the Iseland fleet. And therewith they considered, that the same wind as should lead the pirates out of the Frith, would serve also to lead the Queen's ships to the coast of England. But neither was the Queen successful in this fleet. Sir John Clere, the vice-admiral, was in the ship called the New Bark. There were seven of the Queen's ships, beside the Mynion; three ships of the town of Newcastle; and one Oswald Fenwick, of Newcastle, brought a ship of his own adventure: in all twelve. With this navy, the Vice-Admiral entered an island called Kirkway, in Orkney, upon Wednesday, Aug. 11, and burnt part of the town of Kirkway: and so he and his company went 430 safe back to their ships: and upon Thursday, the next morrow, landed again, and burnt the other part of the town, entered the church, and battered the castle with five or six ful. LV. pieces of ordnance; but they could not prevail against it, CHAP. and so returned to the ships safely. Upon Friday the 13th, they entered again where they were before, intending to Anno 1557. have taken the Bishop's house. They had six pieces of ord- Unsuccessnance on land with them for that purpose. But the Scots now being three thousand men, as they esteemed them, put the English to flight: where Sir John Clere was drowned, and divers captains and soldiers were slain and drowned, to the number of ninety-seven: four pieces of ordnance, called sacres, were lost. The ships and all others in them, being safe, sailed away southwards. Three captains were slain, namely, the captains of the New Bark, the Henry, and the Bull; the captain of the Solomon drowned; the captains of the Tiger, of the Willoughby, of the Greyhound, and the Gabriel, saved. These tidings were sent to the Court, August 22, by John Southern, captain of the Gabriel. CHAP. LVI. The Scots pursue their designs of invasion. The preparation of the English. The Scots retreat without action. The English burn and plunder. resolve THE Scots still pursue their purpose of invasion; and in The Scots the very beginning of the month of September, their army, upon an consisting of the greatest force they could make, was moving invasion. apace toward England. And order was given by proclamation and otherwise, that all the subjects dwelling by North Sowtray, should march on foot, unless he were a nobleman, knight, manner [i. e. owner] of good lands, or captain, who might ride, and none others; and all from Sowtray southwards, with their west borderers, to be their band of horsemen. They had three thousand harquebutters (as the espials sent word) made forth of the charges of the borough towns in Scotland. At this time they had a consultation at Edenburgh, where were present the Dowager, the Duke, the Earl of Huntley, and their nobility. It was there reasoned, that it would be a great matter for their CHAP. whole realm, if the army of England should give them batLVI. tle; the experience whereof they had felt before. The DowAnno 1557. ager answered, “that there was much spoken of an army to "rise in England, but upon her creditable intelligence she "would assure them all, that there was no army towards; "and if there were, the same was of no great force, so as "they might do their purpose without danger of England.” The same day this consultation was held, at night the duke said to some, that the Dowager and Monsieur Docel, the French ambassador, were fully determined to assail Barwick, and that he was never otherwise moved by the Dowager and Docel, but to assay that piece. The ordnance, provision, and victuals came forward, and the nobility of their 431 realm, and the power they might make, were in this army, The Coun cil-adver and in their best order. Upon the sixth or seventh of September they intended to approach near Twede, and the next day to fall upon their purpose. The report was, the Earl of Huntley had the vaward, the Duke the battle, and the Earl of Cassels and their nobility of the west, the reward. The Lord Lieutenant, Sept. 16, sent the Council word tised of it. what advertisements he had received concerning the Scots' preparations, and other intelligence to that effect, as Sir James Croft had procured out of Scotland. But notwithstanding all this, the Council seemed loath to be at the charge of raising such forces as must necessarily be done to make a good resistance, because it was not yet certain the Scots were coming down. Therefore the Council thought (as they signified back again) they ought to have such good espials in that realm, as to know more certainty in this affair: and that before any great stir were made, the Lord President should have certain intelligence, both from the Earl of Northumberland, the Lord Wharton, and other officers on the frontiers. And their judgment was, that if he had good espials upon the Scotch actions, they could not so secretly assemble their powers together, but that he might have knowledge thereof time enough to meet with them. By such good espials, the Council added, it might be known what preparations they made, what their numbers, how LVI. many days' victuals they carried with them, and from day CHAP. to day what their doings were; and he might reinforce the borders, as their doings should give cause, and as to his Anno 1557. wisdom it might stand best for the Queen's service. The Council also advised, that he needed not to make a full assembly of the army, unless the Scots should with their main strength go about to invade the realm: which could not be kept so secret, but it should come time enough to his knowledge to provide for them, either by the whole or such part of the army as he by his wisdom should think most necessary. Number verses with Scot. The Lord President also sent for money and bows: in both which he had in like manner a dilatory answer. But the Council's letter in this important emergence lies to be read in the Catalogue. Crofts was an active, crafty man, who, with Sir Rafe Bul- Crofts conmer of Yorkshire, such another, about this very juncture got a Frenchby some means or other into converse with two gentlemen man and a of the adverse party, a Scot and a Frenchman: where using free and open conversation together, (and perhaps that accompanied with liberal drinking,) they learned divers material points relating to the Scots' present designed enterprise ; which Crofts soon got the Lord Lieutenant acquainted with, and he the Queen and Council. She liked it well. And from the Council the said Lord Lieutenant was ordered to instruct them, that they should continue this acquaintance, and carry themselves very frank with those gentlemen, and to endeavour from them to bolt out more and more the Scots' intentions: and to make themselves the less suspected, should protest to them, that this communication is all of themselves, without any order or commission. force of The Lord Lieutenant, to be nearer the Scots, was got as The Earl of Darby far north as to North Allerton. Thence, on September the of summoned 20th, he wrote to the Earl of Darby, lord lieutenant of with the the counties of Chester and Lancaster, to let him know, that Lancashire according to such advertisements and knowledge as he had, the Scots intended to have an army of the power of Scot- 432 land in a readiness within two days of Michaelmas day, and and Che shire. CHAP. therewith to invade, if not resisted. Therefore he required LVI. the said Earl, with all the speed he could, to come forward Anno 1557. with the whole force of Lancashire and Cheshire; and that he would be with the same force at Newcastle the 5th of October. The Earl of Darby, on the 22d of September, sent word to the said Lord Lieutenant, that he intended to set forward upon Thursday the last of September, and to come forward with the best speed he could; lying the first night at Blackborne, the second at Gisburn, and the third at Skipton, or near those places. Trusting his Lordship would have consideration to give order for payment of coat and conduct money, as had been accustomed in time past, remembering the simple and poor estate of the subject at that present; who otherwise were likely to be in great want. News of the from the ton. From the Lord Wharton, the Lord Lieutenant was, September 23, informed again, that the Scotch army would be Lord Whar-together near Edenburgh on Michaelmas day, and had sent to set forward three shires presently to their borders, saying, "that the army of this realm would be on the borders be"fore theirs." He signified also in the same letter, that he had learned the Scots grudged against this war, occasioned by the French; that there were sundry noblemen in Scotland, who would have peace with this realm, as an espial informed His advice. the said Lord Wharton, and said, "that if device were "made, they would treat thereon." Whereupon the said Lord made this judgment, that though this was told him upon intelligence, not from any authority or power to treat, yet he thought that such practice might have been used, and that with money, so as at least a dissension might have been sown among them; whereupon their force should have been less for division among themselves had already letted great enterprises, which had been undertaken by the Dowager to have been done before this. Instruc tions to the It being now known about September the 20th, or sooner, Lord Lieu- that the whole army of the Scots was to be ready by the 2d tenant con- of October, the Queen's Council hastened to give careful cerning Scotland. instructions to the Earl of Shrewsbury for the receiving of them, for the providing ammunition, bows, money, and |